A Small Problem
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: She was no stranger to Kansuke turning up on her doorstep uninvited- but usually when he did so, he was at his full, looming, height. Today, however? Today she was the one who loomed.
1. Chapter 1

**AN** : I actually finished this the other day but forgot to upload it here? Anyways, this is just a silly idea that came largely out of nowhere that sort of grew out of control when I started discussing it with the members of the detco discord server that I'm a part of. So have some tiny, shrunken Kansuke I guess? There's going to be at least one other part to this, but I have no intention of turning this into a dedicated story, much fun as it is.

See you in part two!

* * *

 **A Small Problem**

* * *

Even before he had lost an eye and started walking with a cane, her childhood friend always been of the recognizable sort. She'd never once in her life had the problem of mistaking him for someone else, nor vice versa, and could recognize him easily, even from quite the distance. She knew the sound of his footsteps well- both the gait that he had before the accident, and the one he had gained after it.

It was no small surprise, really. Compared to the amount of her life that she had spent following after Yamato Kansuke, the amount of time she had spent without him was really quite small. It was no wonder she knew him half as well as she did.

It was also why, when he so unexpectedly turned up on her doorstep late at night, that she recognized him instantly- or at the very least, she did once the gears in her head started working again. That was no wonder either- was there anyone who _wouldn't_ have even the slightest moment of pause when confronted with someone they knew to be older than them, but instead found them quite a bit younger?

By over twenty years, she found herself thinking, making a quick mental check against the photographs that she had seen before. Yes, that sounded about right. Without a doubt, the Yamato Kansuke that stood before her was not the brash thirty five year old police inspector, but rather...

If she had to guess, she'd say that he was no older than eight.

"...Kan-chan?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not _Kan-chan_." Ah, so it wasn't just his body that had returned to being a child's, she thought to herself, making note of fact that his pitch had risen quite considerably. "And how about letting me in already, Uehara?"

"Ah, right, of course!" As if suddenly remembering her manners in spite of the absurd situation, Yui stepped aside, watching as the now much smaller Kansuke half dragged himself inside of her apartment. _Dragged_ was a good word for it, since though he'd brought it with him, his usual crutch was far too large to be of much use, causing his gait to be far more unbalanced than it usually was.

Whatever had turned the clock back for him had apparently not healed all wounds- but she could tell that much just from the scar on his face, which somehow seemed all the larger when placed on the face of a child. Though she had been able to roughly place his age right away, she couldn't say that the child she was looking at was an exact replica of the Yamato Kansuke from those photographs- for one thing, even without the obvious marks that his accident had left behind, his hair never been that long as a child.

Dimly noting that he had seemed to have lost his shoes somewhere- as well as his pants, Yui turned to watch him make his way into her apartment. Since the only thing he seemed to be wearing was a hooded sweatshirt meant for jogging, it was no wonder he was cold- even if he now practically _swam_ in said sweatshirt.

Well, given the fact that he only seemed to come about up to her thigh now, it was no small wonder his own clothes didn't seem to fit.

"Close the door already, it's freezing outside!" Though his voice was no longer the gruff tone that she had gotten used to, somehow, that usual irritated snap of his hadn't changed. It was enough to startle her out of her thoughts, causing her to shut the door behind her- and to lock it too, just for good measure.

What on earth had he managed to get into _this_ time?

"Um, Kan-chan...?" Yui began, only to find herself cut off again, as he all but made himself at home, taking a seat on the floor, resting his crutch against the sofa behind him.

"Well, don't just stand there, Uehara. I'm cold! Is it too much to ask for something warm to drink around here?" It was actually quite amazing how he could still _bark_ , even with that childish voice. "And it's not _Kan-chan_."

Drawing in a sharp breath, deciding that if she wasn't going to put up with that kind of behavior from the thirty five year old Yamato Kansuke, she most _certainly_ wasn't going to let the eight year old Yamato Kansuke get away with it, Yui placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. "And I hardly think you're suited for the name of _Inspector Yamato_ right now, Kan-chan. I don't think the police department hires _toddlers_."

At that, she made the shrunken inspector sputter, opening and shutting his mouth as he tried to speak without first thinking of a proper response. When he did come up with one, the irritation that had been only lightly dusting his voice before all at once became far more intense- though coming from a child, it was a bit hard to take seriously.

Well, not that she ever had. Kansuke's bark might put others off, but she was entirely used to it, fully aware that more than half the time, there was no actual _bite_ behind it.

"I'm not a toddler, Uehara." Kansuke told her. "I'm at least grade school age!"

The amount of indignation in his voice was almost too much for her- and in spite of herself, she couldn't help but snort. Kansuke, it would seem, saw the humor in it himself- for he finally let a smile crack his otherwise sour expression.

"Yes, yes, grade school I suppose _is_ more accurate." Yui said finally. "You want something warm, right? I guess I can't exactly give you coffee now."

"I wouldn't want any of your nasty coffee anyways." Kansuke remarked.

"Oh, maybe I'll make it then." Yui remarked right back, casting a glance back towards him, even as she reached for a pair of cups from her cupboard. As he opened up his mouth to protest, she let out a faint laugh, cutting him off. "I'm only joking. I got some tea from Inspector Morofushi the other day, so I'll make us that. While you _explain_ this, I hope."

"I was getting there!" Kansuke almost huffed, cocking his head to the side. "And speaking of that tiny mustache bastard, there's not going to be a _word_ of this to him! If he finds out about this..."

"Ah, actually-" Yui began.

"Find out what?"

"...he's actually already here." Yui finished, letting out a long sigh.

"That I am." Koumei remarked with ease, seeming to take the whole situation in stride. "I see Kansuke-kun has gotten shorter since I saw him last."

For a long moment, no one else spoke, only the sound of the kettle heating up breaking what otherwise was a rather awkward silence. Finally, Kansuke broke it, glancing between the pair, the expression on his face a mixture between exasperation and annoyance. "...do I even want to know what Koumei is doing in your apartment, Uehara?"

"If you must know, the heating in my unit broke." Koumei told him. "Since Uehara-san has a guest room, she kindly invited me to spend the night as it seems it won't be fixed until tomorrow."

"What, you couldn't handle a little chill?" Kansuke asked, sour tone not fading. "Why don't you hurry up and get lost, Koumei? Uehara and I were talking about something important here."

"I can see that." Koumei said simply, taking a seat at the table. "Ah, a cup of tea for me as well, if you could, Uehara-san."

"...you're not leaving, are you?"

"And miss something as interesting as this?" Koumei asked, merely arching his brow. "Hardly."

Clicking his tongue, Kansuke looked away in disgust, refusing to face the man- a tactic that Yui somehow couldn't help but feel was entirely appropriate for his new body. " _Damnit_."

"Language, Kan-chan." Now that she had composed herself somewhat, Yui lightly scolded the boy, doing her best to mask her teasing intent. "Children don't swear."

" _Like I said_ , I'm not a child, Uehara!" Kansuke snapped.

"Your appearance would indicate otherwise." Koumei noted. "Perhaps you should address Uehara-san with a bit more respect."

"Perhaps I should start calling you Koumei- _ojisan_." Kansuke remarked dryly.

That earned a twitch in Koumei's otherwise perfectly composed expression. "So you admit that you're a child, then."

"I'm not a-!" Kansuke began, only to be cut off by the sound of Yui slamming a tray against the table.

"Right now, you're _both_ acting like children." Yui pointed out. "And since only one of you actually looks it, I would advise the both of you to desist, before I revoke my generous offer and let you both enjoy the cold together."

"...I'm still not a child." Kansuke muttered underneath his breath.

"Yes, yes, you're not a child." Yui said simply, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "But Inspector Morofushi is right. You do look like one. Any chance you care to explain, Kan-chan?"

"I was rather hoping for that myself. Even for you, turning into a child is most unusual." Koumei remarked, accepting the cup that he was being offered. "Ah, thank you."

Heaving a long, disgruntled sigh, Kansuke took a long sip of tea before he addressed the question at hand. "Just so you know, if I had both of my eyes, something like this wouldn't have happened. Damn bastard came up on my blind side."

"And don't _language_ me again, Uehara." Kansuke added, his good eye flickering in her direction.

"I wasn't going to." Yui half pouted. "Don't get so mad, Kan-chan. I was only just teasing you a bit."

He was actually a bit cute, so it was hard to resist. But somehow she felt that calling him cute wouldn't go over well with him, so she wisely decided to keep it to herself.

There was a slight pause at that, Kansuke's lips curling into a frown- before he seemed to let it go with a slight shrug. "Well, whatever. I only managed to see one of them, and didn't get a chance to see the partner of his that took me by surprise, but like hell I'd ever forget the face of the one I did see."

"Did you get their names by any chance?" Yui asked, biting back a comment about unforgettable faces. "And what do you mean, took you by surprise? Are you saying that someone did this to you?"

"I've heard of monsters that steal youth, but never the reverse." Koumei noted.

"Not monsters, people." Kansuke stressed, turning his head to look at Koumei. "Just a pair of crooks. That huge brute seemed to be up to something, so I thought I would look into it a bit, and look how things turned out for me."

"But what exactly did they do to you, Kan-chan?" Yui asked. "You still haven't told us yet."

"About that," Kansuke said, hand straying up behind his head, grimacing a little as his fingers brushed over the back of it. "...I don't actually remember."

"No wonder. Judging from the knot on your head, you must have been hit fairly hard." Koumei noted. "Though I'm surprised that anyone could have knocked someone with as thick a skull as yours out."

"Well, maybe if my skull was as thick as _yours_ , Koumei." Kansuke shot back, dropping his hand away from his head.

"Eh? You got hit on the head, Kan-chan?" Yui asked, rising to her feet, wasting no time in inserting herself behind him, crouching down. Though Kansuke grumbled at the attention, he didn't stop her from fussing over him, only averting his eye so that he didn't have to look at the expression Koumei was giving him.

Bastard was probably thinking something along the lines of it looking like a mother fussing over her child anyways. Honestly. He was _supposed_ to be the older one here.

"You're right!" Yui exclaimed after a moment. "Since your hair is so dark, I didn't notice at all. Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"

"I'll be fine. I've taken worse hits before." Kansuke told her. "Even if I wanted to, it's not like I have any identification that we could use anyways. Who's going to believe I'm actually in my thirties when I have this sort of appearance?"

There was a slight pause, and then- "Besides, I've had more than enough of hospitals for one lifetime."

"...that's true." Yui admitted after a moment, pulling her hands away. "I guess you would have."

"Well, don't worry about it, Uehara." As if sensing her worries, he glanced back in her direction, flashing her a broad grin. "I'm made of pretty tough stuff!"

"If you say so, Kan-chan." Yui simply said. She might have accepted his refusal, but she knew full well that he was the type to downplay his own injuries, so watching over him wouldn't hurt. Even if he did complain about it later, she was used to the sound of his protests.

"Still, I doubt that turning you into a child was their intention." Koumei mused, ignoring how strange that sentence felt on his lips. In truth, he was working very hard to keep his composure in this moment, surreal as this situation was. "If you really saw something that you shouldn't have, it would make more sense for them to try and silence you."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. From what little I could gather before I blacked out, they seemed to recognize I was a cop, at least." Kansuke noted, pausing for a moment to glance behind him again. It didn't look as if Yui was going to move out from behind him, but at the very least, she was warm, so he wasn't going to protest too much. "Of course, by the time I woke up like this, they were long gone."

"I suppose all we can do at this point is go back to where you attacked." Koumei said, his gaze briefly flickering in Kansuke's direction, lips curling into a tight frown. "And perhaps find you some clothes that actually fit. Dare I ask where you left your pants?"

"Eh, somewhere." Kansuke said with a shrug. "Does it really matter?"

"If that pair really wanted to kill you, they might serve as evidence." Koumei noted. Normally he'd chide Kansuke for forgetting something that important, but to be fair, he did seem to have other things on his mind at the moment. He'd let him off- but only this once. "Regardless, there's not much else that can be done this late at night. What were you doing out at this hour anyways, Kansuke-kun?"

"Evening rehab." Kansuke said simply, finishing off his tea. "Oi, Uehara, seconds."

"Yes, yes." Taking the cup from him, Yui rose to her feet, making her way back over towards the kitchen. "But if you were using your usual route, that should have brought you closer to Inspector Morofushi's place... why come out all the way here, Kan-chan? It couldn't have been easy with your leg."

"I believe he already stated that he didn't want me to see him in such a comprising state." Koumei noted, leveling his gaze on him even as he took a polite sip of his tea. "Well, it would seem that his strategy this time failed."

"I swear, if you're setting up _another_ Yamamoto Kansuke crack-" Kansuke began, pausing briefly mid sentence to accept the cup that Yui placed in his hand, "...then I suggest you quit. I'm _seriously_ not in the mood."

"Now, now, you two." Yui said, taking her place at the table across from Kansuke back up, finally taking a moment to take a sip of her own tea. "I don't think bickering will get us anywhere at this point. I'm sure Kan-chan is tired anyways. It's pretty late."

"It's barely even nine." Kansuke noted, brows furrowing together. "I wouldn't call that _late_."

"For a child, it is." Koumei pointed out, ignoring Kansuke's pointed glower as he finished off his tea and rose to his feet. "Well then, I suppose I should go and collect the evidence that Kansuke-kun clumsily left behind."

"You try being compacted down to three times your height, and see how you handle it, Koumei." Kansuke dryly remarked. "Well, not that I'd ever want to see a child with that tiny mustache of yours, Koumei- _ojisan_."

"Yes, well," narrowing his eyes at the latter remark, Koumei refused to give the one who for all the world looked no different from any other mischievous child the satisfaction of further reaction, "...we'll finish this discussion when I return. Provided Kansuke-kun hasn't fallen asleep by then."

"Like I said, just because I _look_ like a kid doesn't mean I am-!"

Though she thought she would have to interrupt their bickering once more, Yui found it was Kansuke himself who schooled himself into silence. He appeared to be rather lost in thought, though as to what it could be that had caused his thoughts to drift so inward was beyond her ability to guess.

"Hey, Uehara." Kansuke began, sparing her a glance. "You still have that girl's phone number, don't you? The one with the ponytail, who followed around that loudmouthed Osakan kid?"

"You mean Kazuha-chan?" Yui asked, blinking a little, before nodding her head. "Yes, I do. But what on earth do you need her for?"

Even as she asked that, the gears in her own head began to turn- and out of the corner of her eye, she could see them doing very much the same in Koumei's head as well. Speaking of children who didn't always act very much like children...

"...do you perhaps want Conan-kun's phone number?"

"That'd be _bingo_."

* * *

Elsewhere, in Tokyo, Edogawa Conan let out a loud sneeze, hoping that he wasn't catching a cold again.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN** : As promised, here's the second part! I don't really have much plans to write much beyond this write now, but if I get an idea in my head for a fun addition in the future, then I'll come back and make an update to this story. As mentioned before this was just for fun without any intention of turning it into a serious story!

* * *

 **A Small Problem**

 **Part Two**

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Edogawa Conan in fact did not panic every time an unknown number called his phone. As it turned out, his number was just one digit away from that of a popular bakery, so he'd grown rather used to getting the occasional wrong number from someone who wanted to ask him if they had run out of creme brulee yet. So when he got a call from an unknown number, he felt no sense of apprehension towards it.

In hindsight, he should have.

"Oh, you finally picked up!"

He didn't recognize the voice, but that was a given. What was surprising was that the person on the other end of the line sounded like a child. Perhaps then not someone calling for the bakery, but rather, a classmate?

No, if it was a classmate, he would have recognized their voice. Someone else from school then? Those three could be pretty liberal about giving out their phone numbers, his own included, to any of the students who might want to request the help of the Detective Boys. Though Genta's shoe locker was still the main method of communication, from time to time, they did get calls.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I just finished dinner." Conan said, a slight frown on his face. It did kind of bother him that the kid hadn't introduced himself at first, but he was probably just on the slightly rude side, like Genta could be at times. "Just to be sure, you're not calling about creme brulee are you?"

"Creme brulee? What is that, some kind of French thing?" There was a note of disdain in the child's voice, and Conan could almost picture a nose crinkling. "I don't like that kind of thing. This _is_ Edogawa Conan, right?"

"Yeah, that's me, but who is this-"

"Great, then I got the right number after all!" The child cut him off. Dimly, in the background, he thought he could make out the sound of another voice. Older, female... his mother, perhaps? She seemed to be trying to tell him something, but he couldn't make out what it was that she was saying, and it didn't seem that the kid was paying her much mind either.

...it sounded a bit familiar actually, the voice. But where had he heard it before...?

"Anyways, as it turns out, you and I might need to have a chat about something. I was planning on coming over there tonight, but if you'd rather-"

Okay, now it was _his_ turn to cut the kid off. "Tonight? It's late, and there's school tomorrow."

"What, not tonight? It's kind of important, you know!" The kid almost sounded a bit disappointed- but more annoyed than anything. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that his annoyance was somehow familiar, but... It wasn't that the voice was ringing any bells, but something about their manner of speech...

...and that woman's voice. He was pretty sure he knew it from somewhere, but...

"Well, I'm sure it's important, but-" Conan began, only to internally grumble when he found himself being cut off again. Couldn't this kid let people finish their sentences?

"Besides, it's just first grade right anyways? I might not have a case to offer you this time, but I can promise that it'll be far more interesting than grade school busywork, _bozu_."

...ah.

The realization struck him like a pile of bricks, that final keyword helping things finally fall into place. The voice in the background was still faint, but he could at least make out part of it now- and at once, realized why it had sounded so familiar to him. He hadn't made out everything that she had said, but what he had caught was more than enough.

Kan-chan.

The boy, she'd called him _Kan-chan_.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, drowning out the sound of the voice that was much too young for it's owner, Conan confirmed what his worst fear was. The area code was indeed that of where he knew Nagano's police headquarters was located, though the number itself wasn't one that he recognized. And speaking of people he knew of in Nagano who called him _bozu_...

Drawing in a deep breath, Conan pressed the phone to his ear right now, putting aside the growing temptation to just hang up.

"...Inspector Yamato?"

"What, you finally remember my voice?" The question was clearly asked in jest, but it's intention didn't make Conan twitch any less.

He felt like he needed a drink, actually.

"In case you haven't noticed, Inspector Yamato, you don't quite sound like your usual self right now." Conan stated plainly, half certain a vein had just popped in his head. He was still trying to process this whole thing, the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment were jokes- and _bad_ ones, at that.

Especially since now there was no doubt. The one on the other end of the line was, without a doubt, Nagano Prefecture's one-eyed inspector, Yamato Kansuke.

As a police officer, he actually quite respected the man. Though hot tempered and sometimes a bit rash, there was no doubt that he was clever, a skilled officer who more than deserved his rank of inspector. The fact that he constantly listened to him was part of what had Conan taking a shine to him, even if his brash personality could often be at odds with his own. It was part of why the thought that he might be working against them had been so terrifying- even if it had only lasted for an instant, before he realized that the timelines didn't match up.

But this... this might actually be even worse than that.

"Well, you got me there." The child- that he now forced himself to admit was very much a too young _Yamato Kansuke_ \- admitted. "Anyways, since you don't sound all that surprised, that's all the more reason the two of us need to meet up and talk things over. Seems as if I've got plenty of questions I need to ask you after all, _bozu_."

That, really, was what Conan feared the most.

Kansuke? Coming _here_? Looking like _that_? No, no, that would be no good! Not only did he not trust the inspector to act like a child would, it didn't even matter in the end- with that face of his, even shrunk down to a child, he was still far too recognizable. If Ran saw him...

...it would be game over.

"So anyways, Uehara and I-" in the background, Conan felt as if he could make out faint mention of Koumei- oh god, so all _three_ of them were in on this, "...were planning on heading there in around an hour. Think you can make time?"

Nope. Nope, nope, _nope_. Not gonna happen.

"Wouldn't it be better if I come up there?" Conan suggested. "I mean, with your leg and all..."

"What _about_ my leg?" To be frank, Conan was just amazed that Kansuke could still manage a tone that was harsh enough to make him flinch even with a voice like that- but now wasn't the time to be impressed.

"No, I was just thinking that your usual crutch probably doesn't fit you right now, so it might be hard for you to walk." Conan said. "Since it would be a pain for you to come all the way over here from Nagano, I'll come to you."

In the back of his mind, he already knew that he was going to need to discuss this development with Haibara- something he was very much _not_ looking forward to. Her previous encounter with Kansuke had... not been of the best variety, to put it lightly. He couldn't imagine that she would be too thrilled to learn that the one eyed police inspector was now in the same boat as them.

And to be frank- he wasn't either. Even if this development meant that he would have three of the brightest mind that the Nagano prefectural police had at their disposal at his disposal, it also meant that there was one more shrunken person whose existence needed to be concealed.

And unfortunately, this time, said shrunken person was of the _highly recognizable_ variety. Not to mention... considering his personality...

...this was going to be a serious pain.

"Eh? You want to come over here?" There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, and Conan could just faintly make out the sound of discussion, though not what was being said. "...fine, I guess, if that's what you want."

Fighting the urge to let out a sigh of relief, Conan felt his shoulders slump. "In that case, can you have Yui-san pick me up at the station? I'll head out first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll send her a mail when I'm close. In the meantime, can you refrain from telling anyone else about this?"

"Oh, sure, I'll tell her." Kansuke said. "Well then, _bozu_ , I'll see you later. Make sure you come! If you don't..."

"Don't worry, don't worry." Conan told him, not needing him to finish that threat. "I'll _definitely_ come."

Because if he didn't, he was pretty sure that they'd be coming to _him_.

* * *

"Say that one more time, Kudo-kun. I don't think I heard you right."

"No, you heard me right the first time." Letting out a long sigh, Conan couldn't say that he entirely blamed her for her reaction. "You remember him, right? Inspector Yamato Kansuke, from the Nagano Prefectural police."

"Remember?" Ai asked, her brow shooting right up. "More like how could _forget_? Because of him, I nearly had a panic attack."

"You didn't _nearly_ panic, you panicked." Conan pointed out.

"And whose fault was that?" Ai asked, leveling her gaze with him. "More importantly, are you _serious_?"

"Do you really think I would joke about something like this?" Conan asked. "That's why I came to discuss this matter with you first, before heading to Nagano myself. I figure we should get a handle on this before things get out of hand."

"I would say things have already gotten out of hand!" Ai exclaimed, her expression falling just barely short of horrified. "The fact that he called you in the first place means he's already figured you out, doesn't it?"

"Well, it's no surprise." Conan stated. "Inspector Yamato is pretty smart, so it would only be a matter of time before he figured it out, given the right clues. Especially now that he's-"

"...like us?" Ai finished, letting out a long sigh of her own. To be honest, all she wanted to do right now was go back to bed, in case this was just a bad nightmare. While she'd known that the Organization was probably still using the Apotoxin now, the odds that someone else would shrink from it, and that furthermore the odds that person would be someone they _knew_... it was so low, she hadn't even considered it.

Apparently, they weren't nearly low enough.

"Yeah." Conan said. "His voice was proof enough of that. There's no way that gruff voiced inspector could ever properly imitate a child, even if he tried."

"That's true." Ai admitted. "So? You're planning on meeting with him? I hope you're planning on impressing upon him why this needs to be a secret, Kudo-kun. If people find out about this..."

"I was planning on it, but-" Conan began.

Narrowing her eyes, Ai decided that she very much didn't like the sound of that. " _But_?"

"...he's already told the other two." Conan told her, before clarifying a bit more. "Yui-san, the one you met, and Inspector Morofushi, who you haven't."

"...I really hope that's a bad joke." Ai said, narrowing her eyes. "Because if it's the truth-"

That she wouldn't be thrilled about this was something that was easy to guess. "It's the truth." Conan told her. "But it might not be so bad, Haibara. Both Yui-san and Inspector Morofushi are people we can trust, and beyond that, they're both skilled police officers. Having them on your side might even be a boon."

Well, having Kansuke on their side would be a boon as well- but it would be admittedly more of one were he his proper size and age. He knew firsthand just how little people listened to children until they proved themselves to actually know something- if anything, that was what made those three something of anomaly, in the way that they treated him.

...crap, though. Now that he was thinking about that, he could only imagine how much Kansuke would hate being ignored because of his presumed age. With that short temper of his...

Why, out of the three of them, did it have to be _him_?

"You might say that, but the truth is that you don't really know that much about them, do you?" Ai asked, folding her arms in front of her chest. He figured convincing her wouldn't be that easy. "For all you know, this could be some kind of trap."

"No, I don't think it is." Conan said, shaking his head. "The three of them have had plenty of chances before, so it makes no sense for them to wait this long, if it really is one. If they called me, it's probably just because they realized that I might have some of the answers that they're looking for right now."

"That's why we have to go up there." Conan told her. "And speak with them directly. You don't want to handle something like this over the phone, do you?"

" _We_?" Ai asked, narrowing her eyes. "Why do I have to come as well?"

"Because you're the one responsible for this. Not to mention, Inspector Yamato is older than us. This might be your chance to gather some more data, and find a way for us to return back to normal sooner." Conan stated plainly. "Besides, if you're so worried about them, wouldn't it be for the best if you spoke with them yourself? That way you could ask them anything you wanted."

"You've got a point, but..." Trailing off a little, Ai heaved a sigh. "Do we really have to go there? Wouldn't it be just as easy for them to come here?"

"Do you seriously want someone as recognizable as _Yamato Kansuke_ to turn up at the doorstep of the detective agency?" Conan asked, his tone blunt.

"...good point."

* * *

In hindsight, he probably should have specified that he wanted to meet Yui at the station _alone_. Or at the very least, if she had to bring someone with her, to make it Koumei.

Not the one person who actually needed to be _in hiding_ right now.

"Oh, you finally made it, _bozu_!"

For a brief moment, turning back around and going back the way he came was a highly tempting idea. He'd thought that he had prepared himself for the reality that was to come, after hearing his voice over the phone, but apparently hearing and actually seeing the one eyed inspector were two different things entirely.

And so out in the open, at that. He should have at the very least understood that someone wanted him dead, so he would have thought it would have occurred to him to _stay put_. In hindsight, that was a bit foolish of him as well- Yamato Kansuke was an intelligent man, to be sure, but he was fairly certain that _fear_ was not a word that appeared in his personal dictionary.

Thankfully, at least _one_ of the involved parties had the common sense to hood the newly shrunken inspector, at least somewhat managing to obscure his features. If he had to make a guess, he would put his money on that someone being Yui.

"...he really _did_ shrink."

Almost certain that she hadn't meant to say that out loud, Conan's gaze flickered over towards Ai. "So it seems."

Her reaction was understandable- after all, no matter how recognizable he was, there was a huge difference between the large adult man that he had been the last time they'd seen him, and the young child that stood before them now. The trademark scar that sealed his eye shut was the same, but the features of his face had shifted to be more that of a child's- not nearly enough to disguise him, not with that scar, but enough to really bring home the sharp contrast.

Which wasn't even getting into the matter of _height_. And as much as he tried to swallow it down, he couldn't help but feel some mild irritation upon realizing that Kansuke was _still_ taller than him.

He also didn't fail to note the way that he was favoring his injured leg, leaning somewhat on Yui in support, even as he clearly tried to cover this up. It made sense that he would be unable to use his usual forearm crutch right now, but for a moment, the sight was enough for a bit of sympathy to edge out the rising irritation.

At least he didn't have _that_ complication.

"Well, we shouldn't just stand around here." It was Agasa's voice that snapped them both out of their own thoughts- for a moment, they had almost forgotten that the old man was there. "We should go say hello, right?"

"I suppose, seeing as we came all this way." Conan said, letting out something of a defeated sigh. It was much easier to just accept the new headache that had entered his life- perhaps there would at least be something good to come out of it.

"Remember, we're not telling him about the temporary antidote." Ai noted, her gaze flickering over towards him. "I trust him with it even less than I do you."

"Gee, thanks." Conan remarked, his tone dry.

Letting out one more long sigh, Conan drew in a long breath, bracing himself for what he knew was not going to be a fun time. In fact, he was pretty sure that the only one here who was excited about this turn of events was Kansuke himself- though, given the one eyed inspector's fondness for him, he was almost certain he was just excited to have a chance to talk with him again.

"It's nice to see you again, Yui-san." Conan called out to her as they approached, for the moment, pointedly ignoring Kansuke. "Though I wish the circumstances could be a different."

"It's nice to see you again too, Conan-kun." Yui said, smiling in spite of herself, before her gaze flickered over towards Ai and the Professor, a trace of uncertainty in her expression as she recalled them. "These are that pair from that time?"

"What, you didn't bring that mustached geezer and the girl from the detective agency with you?" Kansuke spoke up, pushing himself into the conversation whether anyone wanted him there or not. "I thought for sure you would."

"And I thought for sure that Yui-san would come to meet us by herself, and not bring a _certain someone_ with her." Conan replied dryly, his gaze only very briefly flickering towards Kansuke. "I would have thought a police officer would have recognized the kind of situation he was in."

"I tried to stop him, but..." Yui trailed off, for the moment, deciding not to finish that sentence. "At any rate, we can all take my car. It might be a bit cramped with the five of us, but my apartment isn't that far from here. We can talk there."

"It's not a problem." Agasa told her. "I'm sure the five of us will fit just fine."

"Well, provided you're not keeping anymore _half kill_ in your car." Ai dryly remarked.

"Sorry to disappoint, but no." Kansuke remarked. "But if the three of you are hungry, I can make something when we get to Uehara's place."

"Are you sure, Kan-chan?" Yui asked. "I don't have a stool in my kitchen. I'm not sure if you'd reach."

"...that might be a problem then." Kansuke admitted after a moment, before seemingly brushing aside the very topic that he himself had brought up. "Well whatever. Let's go, Uehara."

"Yes, yes." In one swift motion, neither of them seemingly so much as batting an eye, Yui stooped down, all but scooping Kansuke up, placing him on her shoulders. "Then, Inspector Morofushi is waiting at my place, so we'll meet up with him when we get there. According to what Kan-chan told me, it seems there's a lot to discuss."

"Y-yeah. That's right." Slowly nodding his head, Conan had to take a moment to process the rather surreal sight playing out before him. That, he suspected, was likely something that was Yui's exclusive right- he wouldn't advise anyone else to try such a thing, for they were sure to regret it.

It was probably easier for him than walking right now, given his bum leg, but a strange sight was a strange sight. And one that he would have to get used to.

But honestly, out of all possible officers, why did have to be _Yamato Kansuke_? There couldn't be anyone worse that could have-

...no, actually, he was going to take that back. He could, in fact, think of at least _one_ police officer that would have been worse than Kansuke, if not for entirely different reasons- and his name was _Yamamura Misao_.

* * *

"So, how old are you _really_?"

That was a fair question, he supposed, but not one that he would have pegged for being the first, not when there were far more serious things to discuss. But sensing that this conversation wouldn't get anywhere without him answering it, he decided it would be the wisest to do so.

"Seventeen." Conan answered frankly. "Though when I was first shrunk, I was still sixteen."

"What, so you're still a kid after all." Kansuke said, leaning back on the couch. "I thought for sure you were some kind of old man."

" _Old_...!" Conan began, twitching a little. He didn't know how he felt about being called that by _Kansuke_ , of all people.

"Oh, I seem to recall that _certain someone_ said the same thing about me." Ai pointed out, a rather amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Shut up." Conan muttered, shouting her a look. "It was a fair assumption at the time."

"What, so this girlie is the same as you?" Kansuke asked, turning his attention towards Ai- the first time he had acknowledged her since they had gotten to the apartment, really. "I did kind of get that feeling from her the first time we met, but..."

"In case you wanted to ask, I'm eighteen." Ai spoke up. "But yes, regretfully, I am the same as Edogawa-kun here."

"And this young lady would be...?" It was the first question that Koumei had asked, as he had otherwise been silent since they had sat down to begin their discussion. Not that there had even been much of one before Kansuke had busted out that question- but hopefully, things would begin in earnest soon.

"Ah, she's Haibara Ai." Conan spoke up. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce them. The man with her is Professor Agasa Hiroshi. He's my neighbor. This is Inspector Morofushi Takaaki, of the Nagano police."

"You can just call him Koumei, though!" Kansuke readily supplied, earning him a mild look of discontent from the man in question.

"I see." Koumei said, choosing to ignore Kansuke's interjection. "It would seem as if Kansuke-kun and Uehara-san have already had the honor of meeting the two of you. I as well, am pleased to make your acquaintance, though I suppose the circumstances are not what anyone would wish."

"You can say that again." Kansuke muttered, folding his arms in front of his chest. Now that his excitement at seeing him again had dulled, his disgruntlement in regards to the whole situation was starting to surface. "So? I don't suppose either of you know exactly how you ended up like that."

"Eh, you don't know?" Conan asked, blinking in surprise.

"Kan-chan was knocked out, it seems." Yui supplied. "When he woke up, he was already like this."

Knocked out... well, he knew how that felt. With a curt nod of his head, he debated how best to phrase it- and decided the most direct answer would suffice. "It was a poison. Apotoxin 4869, to be exact, an invention of a certain Organization."

"More importantly, the three of you didn't inform anyone else about this, did you?" Ai spoke up, her tone sharp.

"No." It was Koumei who answered- for the moment they had mentioned a poison, Yui had understandably lost more than just a bit of her composure. "Since we didn't know the circumstances other than that Kansuke-kun had been attacked, we decided to keep the matter between the three of us for the moment."

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Ai merely nodded her head. "Good. It should be kept that way. As Edogawa-kun said, what that boor of a man," she paused there, leveling her gaze on Kansuke for a moment, a trace of a smirk crossing her face as she did so, "...well, boor of a _child_ , now, really-"

" _Oi_!" Kansuke opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off by Ai finishing her sentence.

"...was a poison." She finished. "Naturally, it's intended effect wasn't to shrink, but to kill. The fact that he's still here with us means that he was just that lucky."

Judging from how much paler a shade that piece of information caused Yui's face to turn, Conan decided it would be best to step in before Ai could emphasize just how _low_ the odds were. She'd already nearly lost him once, she really didn't need to know just how close she had come to losing him again. "W-well, more importantly, can you tell me what you did see, Inspector Yamato?"

It felt super awkward to call him that now, but the got the feeling he'd raise a fuss if he didn't.

Judging from the way Kansuke's gaze lingered on Yui before he answered, Conan wasn't the only one to notice her loss of composure, well covered though it might be. "I can." He finally spoke. "While I was out on an evening walk, I spotted a suspicious character, and decided to follow after him."

"Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a chance to see what it was that they were doing before I got knocked out cold." He said, with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Though if it's that damn sunglasses bastard, I can describe him pretty well for you."

"Not at the one who hit you?" Conan asked.

"No." Shaking his head, Kansuke's hand strayed up towards the back of his head. "Bastard came in from my blind side."

"I figured." Conan said, frowning a little. Judging from the mention of sunglasses, it wasn't hard to guess what duo it was that Kansuke had spotted. "Was the man you saw a large, stocky man?"

"Yeah, that's right." Kansuke said, nodding his head. "What, do you know him?"

"In a sense." Conan told him. "As I thought, you encountered the same pair that I did."

"Gin and Vodka." Ai supplied. "Those are their codenames. The one that you saw was Vodka, and the one who knocked you out was probably Gin. Using a blind spot to strike sounds like something he'd do."

"I see." Koumei mused, a hand straying up to his chin in thought. "They most likely must have recognized Kansuke-kun as a police inspector, and decided it was best to eliminate him, in the event he'd seen anything. If that's the case, just like he originally deduced, the two of them were probably up to something."

"That said, when I went back to where Kansuke-kun was attacked, I didn't find anything." Koumei told them. "Well, other than his pants."

"Can you shut up about my pants already?" Kansuke asked, his tone amazingly surly for a child.

"Now, now, you two." Yui interjected, seeming to have more or less recovered her composure. "We invited Conan-kun here to help us, not for him to listen to the two of you squabble."

"I'm not-!" Kansuke opened his mouth to protest, before reeling himself in, instead making an irritated click of his tongue. "Koumei's the one who started it."

"More and more, you're showing yourself to match up with your current age, Kansuke-kun." Koumei remarked.

"Koumei, if you don't shut up, I swear-!" Narrowing his eyes, Kansuke lunged forward- a fool's mistake, seeing as he lost balance the moment his bad leg touched the ground, resulting in him having to clutch the couch in a vice grip just to keep himself from falling over.

"You'll what?" Koumei asked, merely lifting his brows. "I'm afraid there's not that much you can do in your current state."

"Okay, okay, can we save acting like children for later?" Conan piped up, glancing between the two of them, making it damn well clear he was talking to both of them. "Since you're involved in this now, there's a bunch of stuff the three of you need to be caught up to speed on, and now's as good a time as any to do it. So if you don't mind-"

"We don't mind, Conan-kun." Yui spoke up. "Go on."

With an appreciative nod of his head, and a rather sympathetic look in Yui's direction, Conan drew in a breath, thinking of where best to start the whole story from.

The very beginning, he supposed.

* * *

He'd told them.

He'd told them to contact him once they decided what it was that they were going to do about their particular scenario. He'd left that matter in their hands, against Ai's protests- they were adults, after all, surely they could work something out without the interference of someone who on his best days was a teenager.

And yet...

When they had heard that the year above them was getting a transfer student, they had both felt an inkling of dread. Still, they had laughed it off, dismissing the idea that it could be true on the virtue that neither of them could imagine _Yamato Kansuke_ putting up with going to elementary school.

When they heard from the grapevine that said transfer student apparently had a bad leg, and was missing an eye... that was when they felt their hearts sink into the depths of their stomachs.

And when they heard that said transfer student bore the last name of _Uehara_... well, that all but sealed the deal.

And when the transfer student himself showed up at the door of their classroom during lunch hour, a distinct _ka thunk_ striking the floor as he stopped just outside the door, they knew that their worst fear had been realized.

With a broad grin, Yamato Kansuke lifted up his free hand in greeting, and then, for all the classroom to hear-

"Yo, _bozu_ , girlie!"


	3. Ring

**AN** : Just a quick addition to this verse that I had been thinking about for awhile! Since I had a bit of time today, I decided to write it out and go ahead and post it up with the rest of the stuff. Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Ring**

* * *

"You looking for something, Uehara?"

"Oh, Kan-chan." Brushing back a stray strand of hair, Uehara Yui gave her childhood friend a small smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, I could tell." Merely arching his remaining brow, Yamato Kansuke cast a glance around the apartment, which was in such a state of disarray that were Yui not actively searching through one of the drawers herself, he would have half thought a burglar had broken in. Turning back to Yui, he tilted his head, brow arching all the higher. "So? Like I asked before, you looking for something?"

"More or less." Yui told him, letting out a short sigh, hesitating for a moment before she continued- something which did not go unmarked by Kansuke. "I was looking for my ring."

"Ring?" Kansuke asked, tilting his head, before a look of understanding dawned over his face. "Your wedding ring, you mean? What the hell do you need that thing for? Rather, I'm surprised you even still have it."

"Of course I do!" Yui protested, almost puffing out her cheeks. "Yoshiro-san bought it for me, it's the least I can do to keep it, after the way I tricked him."

"I wouldn't say you _tricked_ him. It's not like you're the one who asked to marry him." Kansuke noted, grumbling to himself a little as he gripped his crutch tighter to take a step forward. He'd gotten so used to using the forearm crutch, that going back to using a regular one was proving to be a serious pain in the ass. His body being much smaller than he was used to was only adding to that.

...though, if his body hadn't gotten this small in the first place, there'd be no need for him to use any other type of crutch. How'd he get stuck in this goddamn mess anyways?

"But it is still true that I accepted it with ulterior motives in mind." Yui told him, a tinge of regret in her expression. "I couldn't exactly call myself a faithful wife."

Here she was, not even a few scant months after her husband's death, living under the same roof as another man. Even if said man _was_ currently stuck in the form of a small child, that didn't really change the principle of the matter. Even so- better with her than with Inspector Morofushi, she thought.

Getting transferred somewhere, and taking Kansuke with her, had been her intention. Getting transferred to _Tokyo_ , however...

...that had been decidedly _less_ so.

She'd only meant to take him out of the prefecture where he was so easy to recognize. In hindsight, perhaps she should have been a bit more specific on her transfer request. She'd only noted that she would rather avoid the neighboring Gunma prefecture, and had left everything else up to the hands of fate.

A bad choice, clearly, considering how quickly Kansuke had blown the one thing that Conan had asked him to do. Heaving a sigh as she remembered the ensuing mess that had unfolded after that, she could only blame herself for not keeping a closer eye on him. She wouldn't have thought that a small child with a bum leg could escape from her so easily, but apparently, she'd been wrong about that.

She wasn't going to make that mistake again, however.

"So?" Cutting short the topic entirely, since he didn't know how to deal with it, Kansuke mad his way to the couch. Leaning his crutch up against it, he pulled himself up with an annoying bit of effort, taking a seat. "Why are you suddenly looking for that damn ring so desperately? If it's living costs, I can help with that."

"It's not that." Yui was quick to reassure him. "My salary's just fine, Kan-chan."

"Then _what_?" Kansuke asked.

"I thought maybe I'd put it on." Yui told him, almost sensing what would come next, and hurriedly moving to preempt it. "I'm sure you've noticed, but the way your, ah," and she hesitated here for a moment, in spite of herself, "... _teacher_ talks to me sometimes is a bit..."

Ah, he really had noticed. Just the mere mention of him caused a twitch in his good eye. "You don't need your damn _wedding ring_ for that! Just arrest the bastard for sexual harassment!"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way, Kan-chan." Yui told him.

"Yeah, well it _should_." Kansuke grumbled, muttering something underneath his breath about how if she wasn't going to arrest him, _he_ sure as hell would- his own current appearance as an eight year old child not withstanding.

(He could get Koumei to do it- that bastard was too free anyways, judging from the way he came over here to harass him every weekend. Hell, maybe the one he needed to arrest was _him_. Maybe then at least he wouldn't have to see his pretentious mug every Sunday, like clockwork.)

"Anyways, you don't need your stupid wedding ring for that, Uehara." Kansuke told her. "I mean, that bastard thinks you're a-"

Ugh, he couldn't finish it. Who had come up with this dumb cover story anyways? Probably Koumei. Dumb ideas were that bastard's forte.

"-a single mother?" Yui finished for him, and Kansuke could only grumble all the more, given how damn _amused_ she sounded about the whole thing. "Now, now, don't be that way, _Haru-chan~_."

"Don't _Haru-chan_ me, Uehara!" Kansuke barked, making his voice as deep as he could manage given how insufferably high the pitch had gotten. "It's bad enough with you calling me _Kan-chan_ all the damn time, I don't need you to call me by some damn fake name when we're alone together!"

"You say that, but you haven't called me Yui once ever since you got this small." Yui pointed out, pretending that she didn't know the reason why.

"That's _different_!" Kansuke told her, grabbing his crutch and getting back to his feet. "Anyways, you don't need your stupid wedding ring, so stop looking for it already! Hurry up and fix the damn mess you made!"

Anyone else would have likely flinched at being snapped at like that, even coming from a child, but Yui simply blinked, already more than used to his periodic temper tantrums. "Are you going out again, Kan-chan?"

"Just somewhere." Kansuke told her. "I don't need to run all of my moves by you, do I?"

"Well, seeing as the _last_ time you went off on your own..." Yui trailed off.

"It was a stupid secret anyways, and you know it." Kansuke snapped. "The kid's better off with that detective agency girl knowing!"

"I think Conan-kun would disagree with you there, but..." Heaving a short sigh, Yui closed the drawer she had been digging through. She hadn't exactly expected him to _regret_ his actions, knowing him as she did. "Just don't get into any trouble, Kan-chan. I'll make dinner tonight, once I finish cleaning up."

"I'm not going to get in any damn trouble." Grumbling, Kansuke turned his head so that he could look back at her, before jerking his head back away again. Having to look up to someone who was supposed to be both shorter and _younger_ than him... what a serious pain in the ass!

"How old do you think I am anyways, Uehara, _five_?"

"Of course not, Kan-chan. You're clearly eight."

" _UEHARA_ -!"

* * *

"Here."

Leave it to Kan-chan to give her presents in the roughest way possible, Yui thought to herself, as she found a small box all but thrust into her lap. Were he still tall enough, she was almost certain it would have been thrust into her face instead, so all in all, she had to consider this as an improvement.

Glancing down at the small, wrapped box in her hands, she had to admit, she was surprised that he even bothered. Usually he was the type to not care about such frivolities as wrapping when it came to giving presents- but this one, unlike the handful she had received in her life that had been wrapped- seemed as if it had been actually wrapped by hand, as opposed by being done by someone at the store.

She couldn't help but wonder why he'd bothered, this time.

She also wondered why it was that he couldn't look her in the eye, having turned so sharply on his heel after giving her the box that he nearly stumbled.

"Kan-chan...?" Yui began, tilting her head.

"Just open it already, Uehara!" His usual impatient bark sounded a bit different from usual- and not just because of the change in his voice's pitch.

"...but what is it for?" Yui asked. "It's not even my birthday."

" _Like I said_ ," finally turning around to face her, Kansuke jerked his head upwards, locking eyes with her, "...just _open it_ already, and you'll find out!"

Blinking for a moment longer, Yui let out a short sigh, plucking the box up from her lap. "Well, if you're going to be that fussy about it-"

"I'm not being _fussy_!"

"-then I'll open it right away." Yui finished, ignoring Kansuke's interjection.

Doing just that, Yui undid the tape, careful not to rip the wrapping paper. Frowning at the small box it revealed, she turned it over in her hands, a curious expression her face. On the surface, it appeared to be some kind of jewelry box, but Kansuke never was the type to gift something so grand.

Cracking the box open revealed a simple silver band inside, one that she took out with care. Turning it over in her hands, she fixed her gaze next on Kansuke, trying to puzzle out what it meant when _Yamato Kansuke_ , of all people, gave her a ring.

And trying to pretend that her heart wasn't beating like crazy- even as she was mentally cursing that a development like this couldn't happen while he was at full size. All the while, of course, reminding herself that when Yamato Kansuke was involved, nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

"Now you don't have to worry about that bastard hitting on you." Kansuke told her, tilting his head back, arching his brow. "And you don't have to look for that damn Torada's ring anymore either."

What, so that was what all of this was about. Well, she couldn't say that she had expected anything more- Kansuke was Kansuke, after all, and she doubted losing several feet off of his height was bound to spark anything resembling _romance_ in him. It could just about hit him smack over the head, and he'd never notice, great detective he might be.

"You didn't have to go out of your way to buy a ring for me, Kan-chan." Yui told him, even as she carefully slid it onto her finger. A perfect fit, as if she had any doubt.

"Well, just consider it a repayment for putting up with me when I'm like this." Kansuke noted, once more pivoting on his heel, careful this time not to topple over. "That's all!"

"In that case, I'll take good care of it." Yui told him, rising to her feet, careful not to drop the box. Vaguely, it occurred to her to ask how he had even managed to obtain the ring in question- she couldn't imagine a jeweler being in a hurry to sell a ring to what appeared to be a grade school student.

It didn't take much detective work to figure out, though.

Perhaps she should avoid needling him about this any further- no wonder Kan-chan was acting a bit strange, seeing as he'd been forced into a situation in which he'd had to ask _Inspector Morofushi_ , of all people, for help. No wonder he was sulking.

Kan-chan was Kan-chan, after all. There was no reason for her to think that he'd realized any other meaning that a man- even a rather tiny one- giving a woman a ring could have.

That damn _Koumei_ \- having to put that ridiculous idea in his head. He just couldn't resist saying something, that jerk- and as much as he wanted to forget all about it, he couldn't get it out of his damn head.

He'd thought nothing of buying Yui her own ring to replace the one that she couldn't find. Koumei, on the other hand, had been quick to remark that if he was planning on proposing to Yui, he ought to wait until he came up past her waist again.

Like hell that was what this was about! He was just trying to get some stubborn jerk off of her back- and keep her from wearing a dead man's ring. That was bad luck, in his books. Twitching, Kansuke couldn't help but grumble to himself, annoyed that he'd thought about those infernal words of his again. Somehow, even when he wasn't even _here_ , Koumei managed to grind his last gear.

...but well... Yui looked happy, at least, so maybe it wasn't all bad.


End file.
